Advice on a Japanese Red Maple?

[kdodds]

Hehe... inside aquatics...

[Kenshin14435]

ok everyone
I bought a book on bonsai called All About Bonsai by Ortho Books.
(No other known author)
It has Medium-to-High usefullness.
Has many good pix and describes great.
Although it does not go in depth on what kind of fertilizer, dirt and grit, etc.
I suggest this book and another that I found but could not buy(was not in stock).
The other book is Bonsai Survival Manual. I cannot remember the author or publisher off the top of my head.

K5

[Gnome]

Ken,

Thanks for letting us know about your impressions of that book. I do not own either of those particular volumes. The second one you mentioned was written by [url=https://www.bonsaiforum.com/colinlewisbonsai/index.html]Collin Lewis.[/url] Reviews can be found [url=https://www.amazon.com/review/product/0882668536/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?%5Fencoding=UTF8&showViewpoints=1]here.[/url]

Norm

[Kenshin14435]

I found a book called "Bonsai Techniques" by john naka.
There is a second one called "Bonsai Techniques 2" also by john naka.
They are out of print and can only be bought used for around 35-40 dollars a peice.
Should I get these books???

[Kenshin14435]

I also found some other books called "The Bonsai Workshop" by Herb L. Gustafson and Craig Coussins.

And...."Bonsai School: The Complete Course in Care, Training, and Maintenance"

I went around on the web and in other forums they said these books were very usefull.

Oh, and correction on the john naka book prices. They vary from 35 dollars to 240 dollars. Just thought I shouldput that out there.


K5

[Kenshin14435]

Hehe... inside aquatics...

Ummmmmmm..............YEAH
Your startnig to scare us kdodds.
I think this face descibes this post you posted, kdodds.




lolz, just playin'

[Kenshin14435]

Ok heres some news about today.
I went out to Lowes and bought some supplies for my bonsai.
I got a REALLY BIG bag of Miracle-Gro Moisture Control Potting Soil and a Small Bag of Miracle-Gro Seed Starting Potting Soil.
I also got a watering can, root hormone, cutters, a tray, some screen, pea pebbles, etc.
I spent over 65 dollars on all this, but the story is even better.
I got to Lowes and not 5 minutes of walking around in the gardening center I lost my wallet. I had on basketball shorts on with one pocket.........and that pocket has a hole in it.(I noticed this after I lost my wallet of course.)
I spent around 5 minutes looking for it then I went to the cash regster and they had found it and gave it back. THANK GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Then after I had gotten all my stuff I found out that I had forgotten to move the money from my savings account to my checking account.
Thankfully my dad comes to the rescue and pays for it.THANK GOD!!!!!(again)
Dad wasnt too happy after all this.

Then when I got home I repoted my bonsai with the screen on the bottom of the pot, a thin layer of pebbles, and the moisture control mix.
It looks a thousand times better now.(pix will be at bottom of this post.
And I got 2 mame sized japanese maple saplings from my curtious neighbor.
I put those in small pots(used all potting materials listed above).
Pix at bottom of post.
Then I took the seeds out and repotted them in The seed starting mix.
So right now I am very content.
I will also be buying a portable greenhouse by FlowerHouse.
It wont be that much money.
I cant get a permenant one because I cant afford it, but oh-well.
Its a little 4 foot by 4 foot by 4 foot 8 inches.

Here are the pix I promised.


[img]https://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk207/Kenshin14435/Mame%20Bonsai/IMAG0121.jpg[/img]


Front


[img]https://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk207/Kenshin14435/Mame%20Bonsai/IMAG0113.jpg[/img]


Back


[img]https://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk207/Kenshin14435/Mame%20Bonsai/IMAG0114.jpg[/img]


Top


[img]https://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk207/Kenshin14435/Mame%20Bonsai/IMAG0117.jpg[/img]


First Mame


[img]https://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk207/Kenshin14435/Mame%20Bonsai/IMAG0115.jpg[/img]


Second Mame


[img]https://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk207/Kenshin14435/Mame%20Bonsai/IMAG0118.jpg[/img]


Five groups of 3 seeds(covered in soil)



Hope you enjoyed!!!


K5

[Gnome]

Ken,

I found a book called "Bonsai Techniques" by john naka.
There is a second one called "Bonsai Techniques 2" also by john naka.
They are out of print and can only be bought used for around 35-40 dollars a peice. Should I get these books???

While these books are highly regarded by most bonsai enthusiasts they may not be the best choice for a novice.

I also found some other books called "The Bonsai Workshop" by Herb L. Gustafson and Craig Coussins.

I own 'The Bonsai Workshop' by Gustafson and have found it useful but the pictures and the text do not always coincide with one another which makes following the sequences a little difficult. My copy Is by Gustafson alone though.

I'm glad you found your wallet I thought I lost mine a few times but luckily it always turned up.

I'm surprised that you re-potted the Juniper again and chose such a dense medium despite my comments in the other thread.

It would have been better if you had not been so hasty. Apparently you root-pruned it and replanted it in the same soil it came in. Correct? Junipers really benefit from a very gritty, free draining medium. Junipers can suffer from root rot if they are kept consistently wet and a medium that is finely textured and heavy in organic matter is more difficult to manage.

I wish you luck with it but if it fails do not let it get you down, it has had a rough time of it recently. The next time you are at the nursery look at the Junipers there. Nursery stock can make decent bonsai especially if you choose wisely. By the way it is not too late to work on Junipers so if you do find one perhaps you can make some progress with it this year.

The Maple seedlings will need to be grown out for years before much in the way of training can be attempted. The potting soil is not so troubling for the seedlings and the seeds you have. If you are having trouble finding an inorganic component look for Perlite, Lowes will carry it.

Norm

[Kenshin14435]

Thank you for your advice Nome.
I think I probably should add some sand or something like it to the soil.
We'll see how it does first. I was very surprised to see how much the roots have grown since my last repot. I am very aware that those saplings will take a couple of years to grow-out to the point where I can start shaping. I took all that into consideration before I started on them.
But it also allows time to see what kind of shape it will take on it's own, and you get to know more "personaly". Meaning yuo will learn to know what it tends to ike and what it tends to not like.
Also, I will be visiting the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum at the National Arboretum this memorial day Monday. Just a question, but is anybody a National Bonsai Foundation member?
I just joined a couple days ago.
Thnx


K5

[Kenshin14435]

Wow, Haven't been to this thread in a while.
Anyway, I have a little 4 inch sapling(maple) and I want to turn it into a mame bonsai. But in order to do this I have to leaf prune 2/3 of all leaves starting from the top. Only 1 problem though..........theres only 7 leaves.
I did a quick calculation and found I would would have to trim 4 leaves off(4.6 if you ask a calculator ) I have some pix of it .

Here they are. Oh, the lighting isn't good in any part of my house so it may look a little weird.

[img][img]https://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk207/Kenshin14435/Maple%20Seedlings/S4010002.jpg[/img][/img]

This is a veiw of the mini tree I'm talking about. It may look like there is a dead leaf hanging from it, but there is not, it is the angle at which I took the picture.


[img][img]https://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk207/Kenshin14435/Maple%20Seedlings/S4010003.jpg[/img][/img]

Heres another angle. I think this angle is better than the first.

[img][img]https://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk207/Kenshin14435/Maple%20Seedlings/S4010004.jpg[/img][/img]

This is a top view of the tree.


I haven't pruned this thing at all because I really don't want it to die. It is the early summer over hear so this is the time to do this leaf prune(according to the book). I haven't root pruned either.
I want to know if I can take these leaves off without doing any damage to the tree.
Thnx

Ken

[Gnome]

Ken,

Don't prune anything. This tree is way to young to worry about leaf pruning/defoliation or even styling in general. Let it grow unchecked for a few years. Also, bonsai pots are reserved for trees that are already to an advanced state of development. Using a bonsai pot so soon not only looks out of place but can even slow development of young stock. The pot you have it in now though is large enough to be essentially a growing container, so I'd leave well enough alone for the remainder of this year.

Mame can be difficult, creating a realistic image on such a small scale takes experience. Consider moving up one classification to shohin. The trunk of your tree is pretty thin still. The way to develop a stout trunk is to grow the tree out and later cut it back. This growth increase the girth of the trunk, adds taper and movement.

Decide on a style and size you wish to develop. Other decisions will stem from those. Look closely at the lower stem and observe if there are any nodes from previous growth. They will look like rings or bands around the stem, it is from these locations that new growth will emerge if/when you do prune it back.

No matter what you decide a newly potted tree is not ready for the stress you are considering right now.

[url]https://www.shohin-europe.com/ARTICLES-whatisashohin-bonsai.html[/url]

Norm

[Kenshin14435]

Ok, thanx Norm. I was just wondering if I could do anything.
I chose that pot because I have two young maples, so I decided I would put them in there instead of having 2 different pots. There is another one in there but it's a year younger than the one that is shown in the pix above. It only has 2 leaves. I know I can't do anything to that one for a long time.
Also, what size do thing a good starter maple woud be. I'm having a problem finding one around here. They're all a good 4- 5 foot tall and cost 70-80 bucks. Thats a big problem for me 'cause I have a limited money budget(as do all kids my age). I can't seem to find any that are nice and short(maybe a foot or two in height)at a low cost. Although, I haven't been looking online. That maybe my downfall there.
I have another question about the 7 leafer. How many years do you estimate I will have to wait 'till I can do anything.
Thanx so much!

Ken

[constantstaticx3]

How many years do you estimate I will have to wait 'till I can do anything.

Atleast 5years. These trees grow pretty slowly, to my experience with them, and you have picked the longest route to take. I have a few little ones a little older than yours. One is about as small as your first one that needs a lot of growing and another is a bit bigger. I have decided to keep the bigger one the way it is because of its elegant shape. I have decided to ground layer that one to at least have a nice nebari on it.

In order to create a believable tree, you must have a mature trunk. The larger maples you are talking about are actually a good price and you can get multiple trees out of them by air layering before you cut it down to size. Make sure they have a decent nebari though, or if not you can always ground layer.

Tom

[Kenshin14435]

constantstaticx3,
thanx for the feedback. It was helpful. I'm actually gald you brought up that air layering technique. I have been thinking that if I bought a relatively cheap tree with long branches, I could try air layering on it.
I can't believe I had forgotten my own idea!
Thanx

Ken

[Gnome]

Ken,

Good advice from Tom here. I have found Japanese Maples in one gallon containers for as little as $20.00 they already have a reasonable size trunk for a small to medium bonsai. Call around to your local nurseries. Make sure to check for the presence of an unsightly graft union though.

Norm

[Kenshin14435]

OK, thnx for the advice. Although I'll have to do a search through my phone book
Thnx

[Kenshin14435]

Ok, I've come up with a grand plan.
I'm going to buy a good nursery Japanese Red Maple and Plant it in the ground. Then I'm going to layer it a couple times to get the most out of it.
The I'm going to chop off all the branches around the nebari. I'm hoping to get a multipull trunk system. Then I'm going to make a bonsai out of that. I'll do all this after I buy a couple of things. I haveth limited dougheth.
What do ya guys think, this plan sound good to you?

[Gnome]

Ken,

It's good that you have a plan and are thinking long term, this could work. I have been thinking a little about your situation and considering your plans for the future (I see you edited your signature again) establishing a growing bed will make life a lot easier on you in the coming decade. Four more years of school, four years away and two years getting yourself established somewhere puts you ten years down the road.

By establishing your own little patch of garden you can plant young material out and get some good growth. Later you will have some decent stock to work with. By then you will have also have learned a lot more about bonsai and will be better able to work that material. This will also take a lot of the stress from whoever gets the duty of maintaining your trees while you are away. A little fertilizer and a good soaking once a week and their done.

Norm

[Kenshin14435]

Thanx Norm.
Buy unfortunately I have five more years of school around these parts. Lets just say I was one very, VERY rambunctious kid in kindergarten and mom thought I wasn't ready to move on. Plus the school I was going to wasn't the best. But it was probably one of the best things my mom could've done for me. If she hadn't of done that then I wouldn't have had all the great teachers I had this year. Not to mention friends(and girls, can't forget them now can we )
Anyway, Thank You.
On a less personal note, yes, I did change my signature. My rank also changed. I also posted what zone I'm in. On that note anyway, I was looking at the USDA's website yesterday and they might be coming out with a new zone map soon because of the changing temps. And my minimum average around here these days is certainly NOT 0-5 degrees. More like 25-30 degrees. Just a heads up there.
I've been meaning to ask this but what kind of fertilizer do Jap. Red Maples tend to like? I have a liquid but it's not organic. I would prefer to buy stuff for a specific species rather than stuff for just all around use. I would also like it to be organic. Another problem is getting the stuff I need for the future. I just don't know how to find the money. I'll figure that out later.
Now that I've done bonsai for a while(wow...it hasn't really been that long and......WOW.....I've learned alot. Just look at my threads from when I began here to the threads I'm creating now. Talk about maturity. I'm scaring myself)I've realized that I'm one that only like one kind of species.
I think I finally found it too . I only really like to Jap. Maples. Oh...I know, I'll call myself the MAPLE MAN .
That's what I'm focused on.
Another thing. The only thing I'm really, really worried about is soil. I know that it needs clay, river sand or equivalent, peat or equivalent, and something else.(Can't remember)
I don't know whether it would be better to buy pre-mixed soil or make my own soil. And what kind of soil to use for my maples.(All my other trees have died....or squirrels have attacked them. I only have good luck with my Maples) That's the biggest thing I need help with.
Thanks. I really appreciate it.

[Gnome]

Ken,

You will not be re-potting your Maples until spring so you have some time to do research. If you want to mix your own begin now to look for components. Have you read the soil sticky? That will take you a long way towards understanding soil basics. Make sure to follow the links as well.

I am still looking for a good solid organic fertilizer that does not cause problems for me. A couple of years ago I made some home-made fertilizer cakes and I though all was well, until I used them. They got waterlogged really quickly and attracted Fungus Gnats. Even worse they broke down and clogged my soil. Not wanting to waste the material I broke it all back down and used it as a powder. Even though I applied it pretty thin the same issues cropped up.

This year I found a product that was granular, about the size of a grain of rice and had high hopes for it but the same thing happened, clogged soil and insect problems. Now I am using the product up by making manure tea and watering it in.

You can use other products as liquids such as seaweed extract or fish emulsion. The latter really stinks though. Your local home center (Lowe's, Home Depot) will have these products. Dallas Bonsai has specialized fertilizers but they are fairly expensive. Perhaps if my collection was further along I would be more likely to look to these specialty products but for now I use more readily available products.

Norm

[constantstaticx3]

Norm, you can try this, https://www.shadysidebonsai.com/id76.html

I've been using it most of this year with minimal problems. It does break down and cake up the top somewhat but you can space them out so the whole top does not clog up, although I haven't had drainage problems. They are in little pellets much bigger than the ones you described. There were maggots in one of my pots that were attracted by it but I removed the three that I saw and haven't found anymore. If you have a dog, be sure they cant get into the pots because my dog loves it.

Tom

[Gnome]

Tom,

Thanks for the tip. It sounds a lot like the stuff I have now.

Norm

[Kenshin14435]

If you have a dog, be sure they cant get into the pots because my dog loves it.

Wow...sounds like he has an addiction problem. You should consider rehab
Jokin'

Norm,
Yes, I have read the sticky on soil. I read it awhile ago. It was helpful but didn't solve all my questions. I was recently looking through the Bonsai Survival Guide and I missed something completetly. I can't beleived I had missed it. The author owns his own Japanese Maples(bonsai)and he said they prefer Japanese Akadama Soil. I'm going to do more research into it and I'll come back and post and tell you what I come up with.

[Kenshin14435]

Norm,
I have decided to get some akadama soil mix(not baked). There are three sizes. small, medium, and large. I know for certain I do not want large. I am having trouble deciding whether to get small or medium. I am planing on buying some peat moss to add to the pre-mix. I am also going to buy other goodies such as soil seives, soil scoops, a 6 peice novice tool kit, a watering can, etc. I am going to post a link to the soil. The kind I would like is the last set of three at the bottom of the page.
[url]https://www.dallasbonsai.com/store/akadama.html[/url]

Any Input?

[Kenshin14435]

Let me refrase what I said.
I might buy some of that stuff. I'll probably just get the soil seives, the akadama, the peat, and Oh, forgot about the would cover-up stuff.
Just the basics for right now.

[Gnome]

Ken,

Slow down a little and I can save you some money. Akadama is, as you probably know, imported from japan and as such is going to be expensive. The reason the Japanese use it is because that is what they have, you have other options.

Don't buy a set of sieves either, make them. Are you, a friend or family member comfortable using basic power tools? Some 1x4 boards and a little hardware cloth of different sizes is pretty easy to make. Two would be a good start, Anything bigger than about 1/8 or 3/16 should be excluded so a screen with a mesh about that size will work on the upper side. For the lower side a mesh of 1/6 lets whatever is too small drop through, you use what remains.

The first tool you will need is a concave cutter and a lot of the rest can be improvised for now. Besides I think all of your material is pretty young still, correct? You will not be doing much in the way of pruning right now so they can wait a little while. Perhaps you can drop some hints for a birthday or Christmas gift.

If you really want to spend some money get the Maple book I mentioned earlier; 'Bonsai with Japanese Maples' by Peter Adams. At this point in your development knowledge is more important than tools you will not be using much right now anyway.

[url]https://www.amazon.com/Bonsai-Japanese-Maples-Peter-Adams/dp/0881928097/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1214755670&sr=1-1[/url]

Norm

EDIT: That should read 1/16, sorry for any confusion.

[Kenshin14435]

Yeah, You probably are right. I have dropped hints for christmas.(I joined this site 2 days after my birthday so thats too far off) Maybe some dallas bonsai giftcards or something. We'll see what happens though.
I like that seive idea. My mom suggested it but I probably just forgot. Oh-Well. I'll see about that.
About that book. It's awesome andI'm going to be earning money here in a couple days because I got a house sitting job for some friends of my moms. Anyway, I should get a fair amount of money. Other than that I still owe my parents money so that is out of the question. Although, my grandma is intown and she is a BIG spender. she might be willing to get it for me if I behave. We shall see.
I just wish we all had all the materials we need to get the job done without having the stress of money. Ya know what I mean?
Thanx so much.

[Kenshin14435]

Hey guys......Havent been around a whole lot lately.
Just a quick update on my bonsai experience.
I've ditched all my bonsai except the 2 Japanese Maples seedlings.
Everything else died do to the heat.
One of the maples lost all of the its leaves except fot 2 at the way top. I watered it and put it in heavier shade. Nothing else I can really do.
The really little 2 leaf maple now has 4 or 5 leaves. One of em benig considerably big. I might post pics later. I moved the little one to a place that has just a slim more light. I don't know. It rains often and the place where I put the trees in under the deck and all the water drips down into the pot, watering the trees considerably. Just dropping by to say hi to everyone and all the new folks. I'll try to post more often but as schools coming in 2 days I might not get a good chance. Plus I'm trying out for football. And homework.........UUGGGHHHH.......homework....bleh.
Take Care everyone!

[Gnome]

Ken,

Welcome back. My Acer seedlings are looking pretty bad this time of year as well. I don't expect them to do much for the remainder of the season. Forgive me if I've asked this before (it's hard to keep track of everyones different circumstances) but have you considered putting your seedlings in the ground for a few years?

Norm

[Kenshin14435]

rrrrrrrgggggggggg.....
I forgot to login so I typed up this big response but I had to login. Therefor I lost it so I'll try to remember what I said.
Norm,
Your memory hasnt fled you yet my friend. You havent asked me that question. I have considered putting them in the ground. We've had a problem with the critters in the ground so I'm a little nervous to do that. We do have a foot high compost line stretching the length of my fence. We use it because we have drainage problems there during hurricane season. It keeps water out of the yard. Anyway, we put cut grass on it and sometimes extra mulch. I was wondering if maybe that would be a good place to put the seedings? I'm also worried becasue this year winter is s'posed to be longer and colder. I've seen stuff on cold weather protectiong off of the Bonsai channel, Hosted by dallas bonsai. Anything you have on that?
I also need toget a new medium because the stuff I have I think is molding. I have alot of medium but its not the best stuff. I think it's medium you put your seeds in so they can grow and all that. I just spent hundreds on workout stuff so I'm in the saving stage. working on byuing a pack of acadama or something. Other than that I'm not really worried. I don't think theres anything else. I can post pictures of the compost line. It's mostly made up of grass, leaves, and mulch. Maybe a few other things. we have a compost tumbler for all the excess produce goes in that, not the line. so there no food in the line.
thnx
Take care

[BEEMERW]

I read your postings and I happen to have 2 Red Maples so I can tell you that from my experience and the growth rate of both, the fertilizer I use is bonsai Boy Pro Fertilizer. I used solid on one and it was ok, but the tree really has not grown great. I did switch to this liquid. This second tree I got I started with this and it is growing like you would not believe. I did not start with cuttings. I start with trees. I have all different kinds. You can get this on Amazon. also there is an awesome site to get bonsai's called Glasshouse Works. Amazing stuff. amazon is not bad. depends who you deal with. Good Luck!!!!!! Barb

[alexinoklahoma]

Vary the ferts!!! One fert ain't gonna give you all needed

A point on maples and ferts: its better to use less than more as you do *not* want to get outstanding growth - the internodes will become too long too easily. I just casually fert my Acers with lowish N until late summer then go 'normal' so it can harden normally for dormancy. I tried two different sets of trees (on palmatums, tataricums, rubrums, & truncatum, fwiw) and gave one group regular N and other one low N (N = Nitrogen obviously) to see how much difference and was not surprised. I am now giving away my regular N plants as the internodes are two inches or more on average w/ the other ones sometimes having internodes stacked on top of each other (perfect!)... Just something to think about A few A rubrum are about 4-5' tall with longish nodes whilst the usable trunks are more like 6" to 2-3' at most with nice low branchings here and there... Huge differences from different ways of growing them out.

I see way too much 'thinking'/dreaming here and less focus on basics-of-care. It takes years of basic to get to where 'fancy' comes into play, and if basics were ignored, there will be no 'fancy' time, right?? I almost bit my tongue when I read about buying the Miracle-Gro soil - augh!!! So much to learn... I *highly* suggest starting at www.evergreengardenworks.com/articles.htm and fully understanding the concepts Brent so thoroughly covers. If ya grasp the things there, books become almost irrelevant as they only present same info (usually) in more verbose manners, IMO. Just my opinion, though...

Bonsai can be done dirt-cheap (pun intended) if the technical stuff is understood This last Fall, I started a few hundred seed of numerous species and now have over 230 potensai to play with (and bury rootballs for winter - ugh!!!)...and have spent less than $50 in toto on supplies/calcined clay from Lowes hardware. Cost of pots is not included in that, LOL. Too bad I cannot buy 'time' at the stores as I ain't got much of *that* after watering and fussing on so many pots

Alex

[Kenshin14435]

Hey all!!!!
Glad to see this place has picked up speed again.
A little update on my life. School is going great. I think I've already mentioned I'm on the Football team. If I havn't there it is. I cant remember the stats but we won our last game which was Wednesday. We tied the one before that and lost the one before that one.
Confusing isn't it??
Season ends in 2 weeks. Real bummer. I don count on doing winter sports. I just don't like what they're doing.

Ok, now it's plant time.
I moved my bamboo inside.( I still have yet to post a pic of that don't I??)
I just have a question about my little maples though. This years winter is supposed to be colder than normal so I was wondering whether to put them in the shed or garage or dig a hole and put em ni the ground. I would prefer putting them in either the garage or shed. The only thing I'm worried about is the probable gas fumes that might affect them.
If you guys need pix I can take some recent ones tomorrow.
OH, even if they havn't lost their leaves completely, should I still move em inside???
Still hav yet to buy that Maple book you suggested Norm. I still owe my parents like 90 bucks and I need to buy some other stuff before anything can happen.
Hope everyone is haveing a great time!

Take Care

Ken

[alexinoklahoma]

Better to let leaves fall off all the way 'naturally', IMO. However, prolly not a big deal if the leaves are 'crispy' already, and just hanging on by a thread, so to speak. When tree is dormant, 'gas fumes' will not affect tree whatsoever so long as it stays cold in there full-time to keep tree dormant.

Alex

[Gnome]

Ken,

Considering your location it is probably too early to worry about bringing things inside. I see you responded to Barb's recent thread.
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=10865
Make sure to follow the links I posted there, they should answer your questions.

Norm

[Kenshin14435]

Alex,
Thank you for your advice.....

Norm,
WHOOPS!!!!!!!!!
I see those now!!!

[Kenshin14435]

Hey everyone!
I havnt posted these in awhile but here are some before and after picture of my Japanese Maple Seedlings.



Before:

[/img]

After:

[img]https://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk207/Kenshin14435/Red%20Maple%202/RedMaple2004.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk207/Kenshin14435/Red%20Maple%202/RedMaple2005.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk207/Kenshin14435/Red%20Maple%202/RedMaple2006.jpg[/img]

That little 2 leafer has now turned into a 4 leafer.....*sniffs*...I'm so proud........LOL
Heres the big one that was..............

Before:

[img]https://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk207/Kenshin14435/Maple%20Seedlings/S4010004.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk207/Kenshin14435/Maple%20Seedlings/S4010003.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk207/Kenshin14435/Maple%20Seedlings/S4010002.jpg[/img]

After:

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I'm sad about this one. It had like 7 leaves, now it only has 2. Thats dissappointing........*sigh*

If you have any comments, feel free to post 'em!

Take Care

[Kenshin14435]

Hey everyone!
I have now moved my little japanese Maples into the shed for winter. They should do fine. I havn't checked on 'em in a couple days but I will tomorrow.

Norm,
I've been checking local Borders and Barnes&Nobles for Bonsai with Japanese Maples by Peter Adams. I have not yet been able to buy it but I plan to a couple months before a good springs sets in so I can plan what to do and how to do it. I have yet to actually take a look at it completey but from the previews I've seen on the web I think it will be a perfect fit.

Take care

[Gnome]

Ken,

You may also want to look into a good basic book. I like this one.
[url=https://www.amazon.com/Bonsai-Workshop-Our-Garden-Variety/dp/0806905573/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228524946&sr=1-2]The Bonsai Workshop.[/url]

so I can plan what to do and how to do it.

Your seedlings will need a few years of simply growing time before you can do much in the way of training. Good bonsai soil is a necessity.

Norm

[alexinoklahoma]

The only growth that matters now, and for next couple years, is the stuff that is on the first few inches of trunk. Everything else will be chopped off for tapering(s), so let 'em grow(!) to get mass onto trunk. Any pruning, higher up anyways, only sets timetable back that much more Patience, patience, patience....try typing that three times, LOL!

Enjoy,
Alex